Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

He's a boy who lives in the streets of Warsaw. He's a boy who steals food for himself, and the other orphans. He's a boy who believes in bread, and mothers, and angels.

He's a boy who wants to be a Nazi, with tall, shiny jackboots of his own-until the day that suddenly makes him change his mind.

And when the trains come to empty the Jews from the ghetto of the damned, he's a boy who realizes it's safest of all to be nobody.

Newbery Medalist Jerry Spinelli takes us to one of the most devastating settings imaginable-Nazi-occupied Warsaw during World War II-and tells a tale of heartbreak, hope, and survival through the bright eyes of a young Holocaust orphan.

Synopsis:

Set in Nazi-occupied Poland just before the Warsaw ghetto uprising, Spinelli's first historical novel tells a tale of heartbreak, hope, and survival though the eyes of a young orphan.

What Our Readers Are Saying

Average customer rating based on 1 comment:

K Magill, June 14, 2010 (view all comments by K Magill)
My middle school aged brother suggested I read this last summer, and I just now got around to it, a year later. This is easily one of the most affecting books Spinelli has written. I'm usually hesitant to read historical fiction, especially when it's geared toward a YA audience. Spinelli, however, is so compassionate and so sensitive to the emotional and moral needs of teenagers, he is truly adept at his craft. Nothing preachy or gimmicky here. Alongside Anne Frank's diary and Lois Lowry's Number the Stars, one of the most enduring works of WWII literature appropriate for an adolescent audience. Rich with opportunities for discussion, Milkweed would be a great addition to a Holocaust studies unit for middle or early high schoolers.

Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No(21 of 41 readers found this comment helpful)

"Synopsis"
by Ingram,
Set in Nazi-occupied Poland just before the Warsaw ghetto uprising, Spinelli's first historical novel tells a tale of heartbreak, hope, and survival though the eyes of a young orphan.

Powell's City of Books is an independent bookstore in Portland, Oregon, that fills a whole city block with more than a million new, used, and out of print books. Shop those shelves — plus literally millions more books, DVDs, and gifts — here at Powells.com.